Selected observations on topics of interest to a retired geezer with a computer and time to devote to something beside a golf game going South.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

GBS Worries

BestView is worried about the new H1N1 vaccine which will be rushed out this Fall and given to millions including a large number of children.

It is being developed by pharmaceutical companies and will be given to about 13million people during the first wave of immunization, expected to start in October.

Top priority will be given to everyone aged six months to 65 with an underlying health problem, pregnant women and health professionals.

It is being developed by pharmaceutical companies and will be given to about 13 million people during the first wave of immunisation, expected to start in October.

Top priority will be given to everyone aged six months to 65 with an underlying health problem, pregnant women and health professionals.

The main worry is the immunization may lead to an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine. GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

There are concerns that there could be a repeat of what became known as the ‘1976 debacle’ in the US, where a swine flu vaccine killed 25 people – more than the virus itself.

A mass vaccination was given the go-ahead by President Gerald Ford because scientists believed that the swine flu strain was similar to the one responsible for the 1918-19 pandemic, which killed half a million Americans and 20million people worldwide.

Within days, symptoms of GBS were reported among those who had been immunised and 25 people died from respiratory failure after severe paralysis. One in 80,000 people came down with the condition. In contrast, just one person died of swine flu.

I am going to be slow to get the vaccine and that would be my advice to others.